Friday, September 7, 2012

It's All About the Networking

“It’s
all about the networking,” was always one of my father’s favorite lines. But this statement means very little without
some context. What he meant is that the
more people you know, the easier your life will be.

In
fiction, the king of networking is Don Corleone. The Godfather will befriend anyone, doing
favors—no questions asked. All he asks
in return is friendship, and that should he ever call on his friend for a
favor, they should oblige him. Thus he
built an incredible network. In return
for small favors, he gained access to a vast wealth of resources.

Vito
Corleone came to New York, from Italy, with nothing. Once there, he reached out and made friends
that would prove pivotal in his success.
Thereafter he raised a family and accrued a massive amount of wealth.

Just
like the Godfather came to America alone, freshmen in college have a very
similar experience. Uprooted from our
homes, families, and friends, we are faced with the challenge of starting
over. While some may know a few fellow
students before setting foot on campus, there are still, undoubtedly, thousands
of strangers to meet.

While
I don’t have any intentions of being a Mafioso, like Don Corleone, I’d still
like to build my network. Making a whole
new set of friends is no simple task.
There are so many faces on campus, and it’s hard to know where to
start. The dorm, and classes are an
obvious starting place, but that might not be enough.

Many
students join clubs, organizations, a capella groups, or sports teams. The more involvement you have, the more
people you’ll meet. As for me, I’m not
quite sure where I stand. I was lucky
enough to know a few people coming in, and I’ve met some amazing people in my
hall. I’ve played some basketball and
gone to my first few classes, where I’ve met several others as well.

Still,
it’s my hope that the friendships I’ve made so far are just the beginning. With a class of 1300 peers as well as 3
grades of older students, the next four years seem promising. In some ways, college offers networking
opportunities that you will never find anywhere else. So take advantage; get out of your dorm—you won’t
regret it.